Burrell Tibbs is well known for his contributions to the early aviation period in the United States. Having been an apprentice to Benoist and working with Lester Miller on building an airplane, Tibbs was also a barnstormer and a pilot instructor in Oklahoma before and during World War II. He worked at the Boeing plant in Wichita, Kansas and celebrated the 50th anniversary of powered flight by flying a World War I Jenny from Bloomington, Illinois to Grand Prairie, Texas in seven days.

Citation

Burrell Tibbs Papers, Document name or type, Folder number, Box number, Series number, History of Aviation Collection, Special Collections Department, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas.

Administrative Information

Publication Information

Revision Description

Additional material were found after the collection had been processed in June 2014. The items were incorporated into the existing collection and the finding aid has been updated. 2 November 2014

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection are open for research.

Literary Rights Statement

Permission to publish material from this collection in any form, current or future, must be obtained from the Special Collections Department, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas.

Provenance Statement

The
Burrell Tibbs Papers were donated to the History of Aviation Collection, Special Collections Department, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas, by Tibbs' daughters Mrs. Ruth Crossley and Mrs. Jeanne Santerre in 1966 and by his son Burrell Francis Tibbs on May 21, 2012.

Note to the Researcher

One of Tibbs' pilot log books from Series I, Box 1, Folder 15, is heavily damaged, handle with care! The other one from Series IV, Box 22, Folder 6 is equally in poor condition and also contains mold. The content was photocopied onto acid-free paper and the original deaccessioned. A brochure from Tibbs Flying School in Series I, Box 1, Folder 16 is in poor condition as well.

In Series II, where possible, adhesives were removed from the clippings. Some of the clippings and articles are photocopied onto acid-free paper or scanned and saved as PDF File in this location Z:\SCServer\Work in Progress\Collections\Burrell Tibbs Papers. Especially the early clippings are in poor condition and have to be handled with care!
Please consult archivist regarding handling instructions. Some clippings were glued together so badly that the information could not be salvaged, they were deaccessioned. The undated section of these clippings also contain fragments from articles.

Controlled Access Headings

Personal Name(s)

Subject(s)

Biographical Sketch

Charles Burrell Tibbs was born on March 11, 1896 on a cotton farm 1.5 miles Southwest of Royse City, Rockwall County, Texas to Francis B. Tibbs and Maragette [sic] Tibbs. The etymology of the name Tibbs stems from his grandmother, who was named Thibodeaux. Burrell Tibbs was raised by his grandparents on the farm.

Tibbs' great grand father was a Methodist circuit riding preacher. His paternal grandmother married Joe Tibbs of Marion, Illinois. Frances B. Tibbs was their son. The family moved down from Canada through Illinois to Texas during the Construction Period of the Texas and Pacific Railway.

In 1909 at the World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri Tibbs' first interest in aviation was sparked by observing the
Baldwin air ship and Glenn Curtiss fly. He worked as a greaseball mechanic for French aviator Tom Benoist while being an apprentice to him in 1912. Tibbs worked at the Curtiss School in Hammondsport, New York in 1913, where he gained new ideas for Benoist.

Tibbs soloed on January 9, 1914. Unfortunately, he crashed in the second part of his solo. His flight started at Randall Park in East Dallas. He worked with Lester Miller, another early aviator, from Dallas, Texas in 1914. Their business relationship continued during the years 1915 through 1917 working as barnstormers in Oklahoma and Texas. In addition, Tibbs became a
Fixed Based Operator in East Dallas and they set up the Miller-Tibbs training camp business in Marlin, Texas.

After the entry of the United States in the World War I, Tibbs flew for the United States Army Air Corps flying in the United States and training other wartime fliers. He was honorably discharged from the service on February 12, 1919.

In the same year, Tibbs became a member of the
Texas Top-Notch Fliers barnstormers. He operated a commercial air service and flying school at Municipal airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from 1922 through 1929. For the next ten years, Tibbs continued to barnstorm flying routes between Mexico and United States and also worked as a crop duster.

From 1939 through 1941 Tibbs worked at the College Pilot Training School (CPT) in Oklahoma and was a pilot instructor in World War II from 1942 through 1945 . After the war and until 1951, Tibbs sold war surplus and new aircraft until he was employed at the Boeing plant in Wichita, Kansas.

In 1953, he operated a flying service out of Grand Prairie, Texas. At the age of fifty-seven, he flew a World War I Jenny from Bloomington, Illinois to Grand Prairie, Texas in seven days, or the equivalent of 750 miles, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of powered flight. In 1954 Tibbs constructed a Silver Wings replica of Clyde Cessna's 1911 airplane. 1957 saw Tibbs as Public Relations Assistant to the manager of Oklahoma City's Downtown Air Park and teacher of cadet aviation classes at the University of Oklahoma. In 1963 he was elected president of the Air Indians, a chapter of the Antique Aircraft Association. Tibbs was the acting Director of the Aerosphere Show, Oklahoma Semi-Centennial anniversary.

Tibbs received many awards and recognition, such as the Burrell Tibbs Day on April 14, 1929 honoring him as Oklahoma's Pioneer Flier, which was a statewide celebration designated by licensed pilots of Oklahoma. On May 25 of the same year, the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce presented to him the official award for his services in the advancement of commercial aviation in Oklahoma and the United States.

Burrell Tibbs was a member of many aviation related associations, such as the Early Birds, OX5 Club of Aviation Pioneers, Quiet Birdmen (Q.B.) Club of Oklahoma and Texas, Air Indians, Antique Aircraft Association, Tau Omega (honorary), Kill Devil Hill Memorial Society, Institute of Aeronautical Science, Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), just to name a few.

Tibbs logged a total of 45,000 hours during his active flying career. Charles Burrell Tibbs passed away at the age of sixty-nine in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 5, 1965. His ashes were dropped from an airplane above his birthplace Royse City, Texas. He was survived by his wife Julia and two daughters, Mrs. Ruth B. Crossley and Mrs. Jeanne Santerre, both of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and sons Charles B. and Burrell Francis Tibbs.

Burrell Tibbs Papers, Military Identification Card, Folder 6, Box 1, Series I., History of Aviation Collection, Special Collections Department, Eugene McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas.

Scope and Content

This collection contains personal papers, manuscripts, clippings, articles, correspondence, radiograms, listings, speeches, ephemera, memorabilia, cartoon, photographs, and maps that were created and/or collected by Burrell Tibbs, his sisters, and his son Francis. The Burrell Tibbs Papers are housed in seventeen manuscript boxes, eight non-standard boxes, and one photo album box of various sizes totalling 23.6 linear feet.

This collection arrived in multiple accessions and is mainly in fair condition except the newspaper clippings which are in poor condition. The archivist identified seven series with the first series being the Personal Documents Series. Materials are personal handwritten notes, oldest photograph in collection of Burrell Tibbs in a Benoist plane of 1912 at St. Louis, clippings, articles; correspondence received, topics are Tibbs' project "St. Peterburg Celebration," Antique Airplane Association Fly-in, Semi-Centennial Exposition, full scale replica Clyde's original airplane, the history of aviation in Texas, National Convention of OX5 Club, listings of Benoit students, and private correspondence from Tibbs' children, and correspondence sent to Tibbs' family.

Speeches, bill of sales for airplanes and contracts between Tibbs and Lestere Miller, and Tibbs and Paul R. Braniff; Burrell Tibbs' stationary, biographical information on Peter Altman, typed or handwritten manuscripts covering events of Tibbs' piloting career from 1914 through 1919 while in the United States Armed Forces and the beginning of barnstorming, meetings with Wiley Post and comedian Will Rogers, railroad transportation and American indians, and a typewritten manuscript
The Curtiss Aviation Book by Glenn H. Curtiss and August Post.

Notes on speeches and
The Curtiss Aviation Book, sketches and three views, notes on Early Birds, charts and listings regarding hangar dimensions; Tibbs' pilot's license and other identification cards, correspondence from Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce regarding Tibbs' and Henley's entry in the Dole's Air Race, and business cards, as well as his log book covering the time frame from 1933 through 1937; receipt, brochure, and coupon from Tibbs Flying School; club cards, menus, invitations, and a cartoon created and signed by William J. McClanahan; Tibbs' transcript of speech to the Air Knocker Flight Club including a question and answer session and transcript of address regarding 50th anniversary of powered flight, as well as internet sources about Burrell Tibbs' life and accomplishments and World War I pilot listings.

The second series is the Publication Series and by far the largest and more important series, because it gives an almost day to day account of people and events regarding aeronautics of the first fifty years of aviation including an extensive coverage of aviation during World War I. This series is further organized into six subseries: 1. Articles, 2. Brochures, 3. Clippings Scrapbook, 4. Clippings Loose, 5. General Aviation Topics, and 6. Specific Aviation Topics.

Subseries 1. covers topics such as ballooning, early air meets, advertisements, technical articles about aeronautics, bombing, airplanes, dirigibles, German airships, use of airplanes in agriculture, aircraft engines, women in aviation, airmen during World War I, air races, aerial photography, trophies and awards, Jet age, air boats, airlines, aviation firsts, and air space, and daily flight accomplishments. Some articles stem from
The Scientific American.

Subseries 3. includes topics such as balloons, airships, lighter than air dirigibles, early aviation, Wright brothers in Europe, Louis Blériot, women in aviation, airship flight to the North Pole, aviation in France and Italy, first airship in Texas, Emperor William II and Count Zeppelin, Paris airship show, Transatlantic flights, Louis Paulhan in Texas and other aviation related topics as well as clippings covering World War I. Of interest is a clipping referring to Geronimo's, Apache chieftain's funeral.

Subseries 4. subjects are ballooning, advertisement, flying machines, Santos Dumont airship, Wright Brothers, early aviation, European aviation, Japanese aviation, Texas aviation, Dallas/Fort Worth aviation, women in Japanese aviation, aircraft accidents, cartoons, Dallas Aviation Meet in in 1910, Aeroclub of America, balloons, aviation firsts, Lincoln Beachy's death, successful takeoff and landing from a ship, and airships, military aviation, navy aviation, employment of airships for bombing London, and World War I. Of interest is a clipping where Helen Keller commented about the benefits of aviation to the blind, as well as one from Oct. 2, 1912 reporting on a successful development of a frog clone, and Pancho Villa's role in the Siege of Matamoros. Extensive coverage of the events of World War I, mid-air refueling, barnstorming, air mail, early commercial aviation, Braniff air service in 1929, highlights of aviation, women in aviation, records in aviation, boarder patrol using aircraft, Trans-Atlantic crossings, endurance flights, airplane accidents, social life of pilots.

Subseries 5. comprises biographical information as well as facts about the organization of a "Burrell Tibbs Day" in 1929 by the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and in 1953 Tibbs', at age 57, flying a World War I Jenny from Bloomington, Illinois to Grand Prairie, Texas in seven days, which covered 750 miles to celebrate 50 anniversary of powered flight.

Subseries 6. encompasses information about a life-sized figure of Christ by an unidentified sculpture, President Wilson, Australian boxer Les Darcy, Pancho Villa, bear attacks, General Arnulfo Gomez, Mexican revolution, 119th anniversary of the founding Salina and third Cherokee reunion, motion picture
The Moonshiners, politics, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, local Dallas news, local Sayre news, Beckham County, Oklahoma news, Colonel Edward H. R. Green of Texas, Hugh Burrell and fraud accusations, controversy regarding horses or automobiles for the fire department, buffalos attack in Tonkawa, Barney Oldfield's "Green Dragon" automobile, and advertisements such as a full page promotion of the first Buffalo Bill show in Oklahoma in 1909.

Subseries 7. contains booklets, brochures, listings, Boeing's inter-office memorandum regarding "First Monoplane Flights for the U.S. Government," history and activities of Early Birds, excerpts from different books with various aviation topics,
National Aeronautic Association Bulletin regarding aircraft performance listings, OX 5 Club listings and newsletters, declaration of purpose of the Pioneer Airmail Pilot Reunion, rigging instructions, and listings of aircraft by Smithsonian Institution.

The third series is the Photographs Series, which is further organized in four subseries: 1. Burrell Tibbs, 2. Photo albums, 3. Events, and 4. Airplanes.

Subseries 1. depicts Burrell Tibbs in portraits and with his friends, family, Early Bird pilots, Tibbs with his students, working on a replica of Clyde's Cessna original aircraft, Wylie Post's first built aircraft, a plane built by Tibbs and Lester Miller, Ross Anderson's Curtiss pusher, Tibbs attending meetings, and with his awards as well as at award ceremonies; Tibbs during his endurance flight in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma depicting mid-air refueling, Tibbs at Stephenville, Texas, commemoration of the first flight of Charles F. Willard, and a set of pictures regarding famous aviation planes, such as Loening and Barling and pilots, among which are Amelia Earhardt and Charles Lindbergh; general topics are Miami Municipal Airport, aerial views, wing walking, and construction of Safe Way hangar; one set of pictures showcase aviation pioneer Billy Parker flying his 1912 pusher plane next to a North American F-86 Sabre.

Subseries 2. Album 1 covers Tibbs flight instruction years and some family photographs and clippings; Album 2 Downtown Airpark Paint Shop shows various single engined airplanes with their custom made markings, and Album 3 depicts family scenes, C. Pat Murphey's Flying Circus, Southern Aerial Exposition, as well as some clippings and a Certificate of Scholarship dedicated to Ruth Tibbs for the Public Schools of Oklahoma county, Oklahoma, and a ribbon from the OX5 Club.

Subseries 4. covers a photographic history including a list of all the aircraft manufactured by the Cessna Aircraft Company; racing airplanes, for example Keith Rider R-5
Elmendorf Special, Keith Rider R-6
Eight Ball, Keith Rider R-1
Suzy, and Heath
Baby Bullet and pilots such as Marion McKeen, Earl Ortman, Ben Howard, Harold Neuman, Amelia Earhart, Florence Klingensmith and Ernst Udet just to name a few. In the manufacturer section covers a small representative sample of airplane production from the early aviation through modern days, such as the Wittemann (Aircraft) NBL-1 Barling Bomber operated by the U.S. Army, dirigibles, and Pitts Special. Of interest are the three images depicting the airplane built by Burrell Tibbs and Lester Miller, and enlarged photo prints of a Benoist type biplane.

Subseries 5. includes negatives of an unidentified child, from a de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4 (Red Star Jenny) at San Antonio, Texas, and images from Tibbs working on a home built aircraft.

The fourth series is the Ephemera Series. Materials are an invoice issued by the Creek Airplane Company, a ticket stub by Continental Engine, an airplane ticket by Aeronaves de Mexico, S.A. issued to Tibbs, a decal depicting a stunt flyer, and a flyer promoting Burrell Tibbs Day; an autograph booklet entries are from individuals from the Dallas/Fort Worth area; the photo clippings cover general aviation topics; Season Greeting postcards, and air races programs, menu cards, and a flyer promoting the Utex Aviation Company under the management of D.E. Byrd and Burrell Tibbs.

The fifth series is the Memorabilia Series. Items are a 14.5x2" metal sign with black background reading
Burrell Tibbs in white with yellow framed letters and a True Course computer by Mototrola Aviation Products.

The sixth series is the Maps Series, which includes a silk map of Upper Burma, a National Geographic Society Louisiana map, and map showing the United States with a unspecified flight route.

The seventh series is the Blueprint Series, containing Army-Navy Aeronautical Standards, Piper J3C Series specifications, Zenith Carburetor Cross-section view, Model A; installation drawing, Model A; and 'Manufacturers' Specification on American Commercial Airplanes' as compiled by
Aviation. Of interest is the original blueprint of an engine installation by Lycoming: Installation 0-235-C and 0-235-CI and CIA, Part number 63700.

Books and Magazines

Image ID

It is the researcher's responsibility to secure permission from copyright holders of materials to which this institution does not own copyright.

Images in this collection are identified by a unique number that provides information about the format, record group, collection, box, folder, and image numbers. Please use this number when ordering reproductions of images from this collection.

Record Group Code

1 = CAT/Air American Archives

2 = Doolittle Archives

3 = Lighter than Air Archives

4 = George H. Williams, Jr., World War I Aviation Library

5 = History of Aviation Archives

6 = University Archives

7 = HAC Stacks

8 = WPRL Stacks

9 = Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Collection

10 = Belsterling Collection

11 = Closed Stacks

12 = Unidentified

13 = Chance Vought Archives

14 = Twirly Birds Archives

Image Format Code

P = Photograph/Postcard

S = Slide

N = Negative

T = Positive Transparency

B = Black and White

C = Color

Example: 5BT-1-1-PB1

5 = History of Aviation Archives (HAC)

BT = Burrell Tibbs Papers

1 = Box Number

1 = Folder Number

P = Photograph/Postcard

B = Black and White

1 = Image Number

Images archived in plastic image holders may also have a location code in the format: 1/TL. In this example, the number is the sheet number and the letters indicate the top left position on the sheet. Position indicators are T = top, L = left, R = right, M = middle, and B = bottom. Position indicators may be combined to describe the position on the sheet, as shown in this example.